First-Ever Global Assessment Of Environmental Costs Of Aquaculture Shows Farmed Seafood To Be Less Ecologically Damaging Than Livestock Production; Great Potential For Improvements In Efficiency

Bangkok, Thailand//Washington DC, U.S. — A new and
comprehensive analysis released by WorldFish Center and Conservation
International (CI) has investigated the environmental impact of the world's
major aquaculture production systems and species, and today offers a first-ever
global assessment of trends and impacts of cultivated seafood. The analysis has
found that, from the 75 species-production systems reviewed, more production
means more ecological impact, but that compared to other forms of animal protein
production such as livestock, aquaculture is more efficient.

The report, "Blue
Frontiers: Managing the environmental costs of aquaculture", along
with a companion policy recommendations paper, is being released in Bangkok,
Thailand at the ASEAN SEAFDEC Conference (Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center) on
"Sustainable Fisheries for Food Security Towards 2020". It concludes that the
demand for aquaculture products will continue to grow over the next two decades
as a key source of animal protein for growing urban populations, and that the
industry needs to meet this demand with improved efficiencies and reduced
environmental impacts.

Among the landmark report's major findings are two key highlights: (1) the
environmental impact of aquaculture varies dramatically by country, region,
production system and species , and (2) a review of published information found
that aquaculture is more efficient and less damaging to the environment,
compared to other animal protein production systems such as beef and pork, and
likely to be among the most important sources of protein for human health and
nutrition in growing urban populations in many parts of the developing world.
Meaning — there is great room for improvement, by identifying and sharing best
practices, increasing investment in innovation, and strengthening policies and
regulations.

Driving the scientists' research was the recognition of aquaculture as one of
the fastest growing food production sectors in the world: it has grown at an
average annual rate of 8.4 percent since 1970 and total production reached 65.8
million tonnes in 2008 according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO). Today, aquaculture is a US $100+ billion industry that now
provides more than half of all seafood consumed in the world, surpassing
wild-caught seafood.

Using all available data from 2008, the study compared aquaculture's global
demands across a wide variety of species groups (13), geographies (18
countries), feed types (5) and numerous production systems in use today,
allowing scientists to compare and contrast 75 different types of
species-production systems, to determine their environmental impacts on
acidification, climate change, energy demand, land-use demand, and other
ecological factors.

Following almost two years of data gathering and analysis, researchers found
that:

China and the rest of Asia collectively supply an
overwhelming majority of the world's cultivated seafood, at 91 percent of global
supply. China alone accounts for 64 percent of global production.

Efficiency of salmon production methods: while salmon
production trends toward the high end of the environmental impact scale due to
the use of wildfish for feed, production methods in northern Europe, Canada and
Chile were found to be more efficient than those in China and other Asian
countries (in terms of acidification, climate change, energy demand and land
occupation)

Efficiency of shrimp and prawn production methods:
cultivation in China was found to be much less efficient than other producer
countries (e.g. Thailand) in terms of acidification, climate change and energy
demand

"This report offers the most comprehensive analysis of global aquaculture
ever undertaken, and illustrates the opportunities and challenges that lie
ahead," said Dr. Stephen Hall, lead author of the report and Director General of
the WorldFish Center. "As the report points out, there must be a wider exchange
of knowledge and technology, with policies and action to promote sustainability
and investment in research to fill the knowledge gaps. These efforts can lead to
a more ecologically sustainable industry — an important goal, if we are to meet
the world's future needs and demands for fish."

With the growing demand for animal source proteins, the study also shows that
aquaculture is a highly efficient food production system and has clear
environmental benefits over other forms of animal food production.

Aquaculture products contribute less per unit weight to global emissions of
nitrogen and phosphorus than pork and beef, which reduces eutrophication and
contributes less to ocean 'dead zones'

Fish, as compared to either pork or beef, convert a higher percentage of the
food they eat into consumable protein, resulting in less waste

Looking toward the future of seafood cultivation, "Blue Frontiers" projects
that global aquaculture production will continue to grow at current rates, with
conservative estimates of 65-85 million tones produced in 2020, and 79-110
million tones by 2030. By comparison, 69 million tonnes of cultivated seafood
were produced in 2008.

"China, India and the rest of Asia with their growing middle classes are
where we can expect demand for fish to rise most significantly" said co-author
Mike Phillips, a senior scientist at WorldFish. "Current trends indicate that
the majority of the increase in global production will come from South and
Southeast Asia, with a continued drive by major producer counties such as China
and Vietnam towards export to European and North American markets."

How this rise in production will be achieved in an environmentally
sustainable manner raises important issues, said Dr. Sebastian Troëng,
CI's Vice President for Marine Conservation. "There are a number of
well-founded concerns about aquaculture, in terms of its impacts on marine
ecosystems and wild fisheries. But with global fisheries reaching alarming and
unprecedented levels of depletion, fish cultivation versus wild fish capture has
to be considered. We believe that intensified investment in innovation and the
sharing of best practices will help us meet the growing demand while not putting
unacceptable strain on coastal and freshwater environments."

CI's Executive Director for Indonesia Ketut Putra, who's
attending talks in Bangkok, added, "With governments in the region looking to
aquaculture to meet demand for animal protein, we need to better understand the
environmental costs of expanding aquaculture. This report will be tremendously
helpful in showing us which species and production systems we should favor to
keep environmental costs down."

The report offers multiple recommendations to policy makers, development and
environmental organizations, and industry professionals in a companion policy
paper. They include: supporting innovation in the aquaculture sector; ensuring
the regulatory environment keeps pace and supports environmental considerations
in aquaculture development; developing the necessary capacity in national
agencies, and careful monitoring of the sector so that support and investment
are appropriate to the market opportunities are core recommendations that apply
globally but will have regional differences in their relative importance.

WorldFish Center is an international, nonprofit,
nongovernmental organization dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger by
improving fisheries and aquaculture. Working in partnership with a wide range of
agencies and research institutions, WorldFish carries out
research-for-development to make small scale fisheries more resilient and
productive, and to support the adoption of sustainable aquaculture that
specifically benefits the poor. (www.worldfishcenter.org)

Conservation International - Building upon a strong
foundation of science, partnership and field demonstration, CI empowers
societies to responsibly and sustainably care for nature, our global
biodiversity, for the long term well-being of people. Founded in 1987, CI has
headquarters in the Washington, DC area, and nearly 900 employees working in
more than 30 countries on four continents, plus 1,000+ partners around the
world. For more information, visit www.conservation.org , and
follow us on Twitter: @ConservationOrg